Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Top Fuel driver Schumacher answers critics

Thursday, Oct. 14, 2004 | 9:19 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

It took five years, but Tony Schumacher finally has silenced his critics.

After winning the NHRA Top Fuel championship in 1999 with only one race victory, Schumacher has been on a mission to prove that is championship season was no fluke. Although he had to wait five years to add a second championship, Schumacher has finished in the top three in points in three of the past four seasons.

Schumacher clinched his second Top Fuel in convincing fashion, winning an NHRA-record-tying nine victories. He wrapped up the 2004 title last weekend at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Penn.

"People say we got lucky with the first (championship),' Schumacher said. "I only won one race that year. But since then, we've been second in the points and third in the points twice, so we've been right there. Now we've finally figured out how to get back on top.

"The journey we've taken is what has made it so fun for me. I have the best crew chief in the sport, and the best crew. We've been through the highs and lows together. (Crew chief) Alan Johnson is a wizard -- everyone out here will tell you that."

Now that he has clinched the championship, Schumacher said his next goal is to set the NHRA Top Fuel single-season record for victories. With nine victories this season, Schumacher is tied with Gary Scelzi (2000) and Larry Dixon (2002) with two races remaining: The ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals here Oct. 29-31 and the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., Nov. 11-14.

"Now that this is done, I would love to set a new record for Top Fuel wins in a season," Schumacher said. "If I get the record, I might just retire because it just couldn't get any better.

"This has just been an incredible year. We've already won (nine) races including Indy, Pomona and Gainesville -- all the ones you want to win when you're a kid growing up. They say if you can't win the championship, then the next best thing is winning the U.S. Nationals at Indy. We won both, so this is really what it's all about."

INCHING CLOSER: Barring an upset of biblical proportions, John Force will clinch his 13th NHRA Funny Car championship as a driver at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway later this month.

Force, who has won four races this season, needs only to qualify for the 16-car field in Las Vegas to wrap up the championship. Force has qualified for an NHRA-record 344 consecutive national events and has not missed a field since Oct. 31, 1987 at Pomona, Calif.

Although he has made it to only one final round in eight races at The Strip (he won here in the fall of 2002), Force has plenty of confidence coming into the Las Vegas race.

"I've got a car that's got the potential of winning the next two races and I've got a driver that's back on track -- and that's me," Force said. "I got a little bit lost a while back, but I'm okay now.

"We'll see what we can do at Vegas; it's going to be exciting."

BRIEFLY: Jason Line, who drives for team owner Ken Black of Las Vegas, earned his fourth victory of the season last weekend when he defeated teammate and two-time Pro Stock champion in the final at Maple Grove Raceway. It marked the second time this season that Line, a rookie, has beaten Anderson in a final. Sunday's final was the quickest side-by-side race in NHRA Pro Stock history, with line running 6.669 seconds at 206.23 mph to Anderson's 6.681 at 206.67. ...

Anderson, who earned the No. 1 qualifying position at Maple Grove, tied the NHRA Pro Stock single-season record with his 15th top qualifying spot of the year. ...

Angelle Savoie earned her 34th career NHRA Pro Stock Bike victory at Maple Grove and is now second in all-time career victories in the category behind Dave Schultz (45).